


Inkquisition

by lasereraser



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Gastropub, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Bartender Lavellan, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, POV Solas, bc we're hipster like that, hello it's a tattoo au, tattooed everyone tbh, tattooed solas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 08:36:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8438749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasereraser/pseuds/lasereraser
Summary: Solas Revas owns one of the most successful tattoo shops in the city. Co-founded with his childhood friend, Morrigan, and kept running thanks to his friend with all the connections, Josephine, the success of Inkquisition has allowed Solas the opportunity to open a gastropub right next door. The problem? Morrigan's unreliable cousin Falon'din quit being their bar manager weeks before Haven Gastropub was set to open. The solution? Bartender extraordinaire, the charming Benny Lavellan.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is just me having fun tbh. I've been wanting to see a Tattoo AU with Solas as a shop owner and artist for a while, and the name Inkquisition came to me and well...I just had to write it.  
> Disclaimer: I am by NO MEANS an expert on the tattoo industry lol  
> Enjoy!

 

Solas walked out of the office, through the kitchen, and out to the back of the soon-to-be gastropub. Like, opening in less-than-a-month soon.

And his bar manager had just dropped out.

“Shit!” he muttered, halfheartedly kicking the garbage bin outside. It echoed dully, indicating how empty it was, and how little effort had gone into kicking it.

It was Solas’ own damn fault, really. He should have never mixed business with pleasure. And by pleasure he meant friends and by friends he meant unreliable bastards he kept around for god only knows what reason. 

_ That line of thinking will get you nowhere right now. You need to forgive Falon’din. Eventually. And only because Dirthamen needed his help. Again.  _

The two were hardly separable anyway. The fact that he had only hired one of them meant that either he would have to hire the other eventually, or that the one he hired would quit. Solas had just hoped that the quitting would happen  _ after _ the restaurant opened. So much for that.

_ It seems forgiving him is not likely to happen any time soon. Focus on the next task. You need to find a new bar manager immediately. Then you can worry about when...or whether...to forgive Falon’din.  _

His best bet was Josephine. The woman had more connections than he had pieces in his portfolio. Which was really saying something. Her connections had gotten Inkquisition off the ground and made it the success that it was. They were booked through for the next 4-6 months. And her connections had been instrumental in getting Haven Gastropub off the ground, too. Surely she would know someone...who knew someone...who knew someone…

He honestly didn’t know how she did it. And had time to manage the schedule and do the books for Inkquisition. 

Solas glanced at his watch.  _ Shit. _ His 3:00 consult and possible first session would be there already. He wasn’t late for appointments- ever- but today was a particularly fucked up day. 

He strode down the alley at a brisk pace, opening the back door to his tattoo shop. Through the hallway and into the front room where his 3:00 was...chatting away with Josephine on the waiting room couch. Naturally. 

The woman Josephine was chatting with had short blonde hair, her bangs resting just above her eyebrows, the sides of her head shaved short. She had multiple lobe piercings and a nose ring in her left nostril. Her eyes were a vibrant emerald under long, light-colored lashes. She wore no make up,jeans, and sports bra under a very see through tank. She didn’t look exactly like their typical clientele, but if he remembered correctly, her tattoo design wasn’t exactly typical either. It was part of why he agreed to schedule her ahead of the normal waiting time.

She was looking up at him now. Had he stared for too long?

“My apologies for being late- I had an urgent matter come up next door. My name is Solas Revas.”

She stood now and greeted him. “I was beginning to wonder! Benny Lavellan. It’s a pleasure, and thank you again for seeing me on such short notice.” 

Josephine stood, and without missing a beat, asked, “What happened next door?”

Solas shook his head. “I’ll tell you after this appointment. We’ve kept Miss Lavellan waiting long enough as it is,” he concluded, offering Benny a small smile. Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly. He would have missed it if she weren’t so fair skinned. She returned his smile, and asked “You got my design ideas, and had some ideas of your own, correct?”

_ Right to business. Perfect. _

He needed the distraction. He glanced over to Josephine but she was already back to her desk, clicking away on her computer. Keeping things running, per usual. He knew that the moment Benny left they would have to start finding a new bar manager and the stress would really be on.

_ Back to the present.  _ “Yes, let me grab your file and we can discuss the final design in my workspace,” Solas suggested as he walked over to the giant filing cabinet that housed all of his hard copies of designs and client information. 

“Sounds good to me,” Benny replied, hands in her pockets, looking utterly relaxed. Solas liked that. He quickly retrieved her file and lead the way back into his office, eager to discuss what he had come up with.

“The design you sent in- you drew it yourself?” he clarified as they sat down in his private workspace. Owning the tattoo shop you worked in certainly had its perks.

“Yeah, I did! I tried to draw it in a blend of our styles; I wanted to create something new, for both of us. I’m moving to this city in a week from the city I grew up in- big change for me. So I wanted to mark the occasion with a tattoo that reflected its significance. The flora I’ve chosen for the design all symbolize change, rejuvenation, reincarnation, a fresh start...things like that,” she explained. Solas listened patiently, as he always did. Hearing what the designs meant to people was one of his favorite parts about the job.

“I understand completely. Using tattoos to mark occasions or dates is something I do as well. As for what I’ve come up with…”

They discussed how Solas had altered her design slightly to better suit the placement- her right shoulder- as well as introduce some stylistic changes to enhance the overall aesthetics of the design. He was extremely proud of this work. The style was different enough from what he usually did that it would be a wonderful change of pace. She had specified that she wanted the foundation to be blackwork, similar to his usual geometric style, but with greater fluidity within the geometric framework. The result was bold, yet graceful; less harsh than designs people usually came to him with. It would then be colored with a messy watercolor design. Benny was looking over the final watercolor he did for the design, eyes roving over his choice of color and splattering. 

She looked up abruptly. “This is perfect. How soon can we get the blackwork done?”

_ She’s a veteran. _ Most people getting this sort of tattoo for the first time wouldn’t realize that it would have to be spaced out over two sessions. He smoothly replied, “Josephine arranged my schedule so that we can complete the blackwork today, if you like. Otherwise I can book you in for another time in the near future.” He was as eager as she was to get started on the piece. 

She grinned devilishly. “Today, then!”

Solas found her enthusiasm infectious. Cheerfully, he began to set up his station. She was the first to initiate conversation, however. And not with the usual questions. “So what kind of food do you like?”

And so their conversations began. She revealed that she liked to ask people about food because it was a universal thing and thus an excellent ice-breaker. It worked, too. They talked about the city where she grew up. The city Solas was based in now is where he grew up. They had both traveled minimally outside of their shared region, but were reasonably familiar with the other’s hometown. She had a lot of questions about different restaurants and bars in the area near where she would be living. He knew more about those than about the “good thrift stores” in the area, but he did talk about the shopping centers he usually frequented, and where the best deals could be found. He found out that she was moving into an old 3 bedroom house with two of her friends from primary school who had moved to the city as soon as they were both 18. One of them went to the city university, and the other was a mechanic. 

Solas told her about how he had started Inkquisition with his closest friend, Morrigan, and with Josephine. He told her about how he had brought on Dorian and Morrigan brought on Dagna and Leliana. Eventually when they were big enough names in the industry, Solas and Dagna took on their own apprentices. Morrigan and Leliana opted against taking apprentices. Morrigan’s choice was due to the fact that she traveled often to represent the shop at various conventions. Leliana “simply hasn’t found the right budding young artist, yet,” in her words. Dorian was just fussy, though he would argue to the death against such a notion. The apprentices, Cole and Sera, were very promising. They were also polar opposites. 

Before he could believe it, two hours had passed and the blackwork of the piece was complete. Benny stood and stretched, clearly stiff and aching from being under the needle for two hours. Solas resisted the urge to do the same as he taped up her tattoo before putting away his equipment and cleaned the space. 

“Josephine can take care of scheduling your next appointment. She knows the timeframe and probably already has several time slots in mind,” he told her warmly. With a charming smile, Benny thanked him and called out, “Until next time, Solas!”

Once he finished cleaning up the space and uploading the pictures he had taken of the first stage to his work laptop, he walked out to have the dreaded conversation with Josephine. 

“Falon’din backed out. We need a new bar manager.” Solas knew that while Josephine herself was more diplomatic, she prefered others to be direct with her.

She swiveled in her chair to look at him, angry but unsurprised. “Solas, I  _ told you _ , hiring him was nothing but trouble! Dirthamen needed something again, didn’t he?”

Solas could only nod. Both as confirmation, and agreement that Falon’din was indeed nothing but trouble.

“Well, today is your lucky day, Solas. Because the perfect bar manager just walked out of Inkquisition and is set to return in two weeks.”

His jaw grew slack. Surely, not. Josephine already had a replacement in mind, and better yet, Solas already knew they got along swimmingly? He also happened to know that Benny was looking to start work as soon as she officially moved to the city next week. 

“Give me her number,” he requested. Josephine already had it up on her screen. Solas quickly punched the number into his cell.

“Benny? Hello, it’s Solas. Listen, I have a job offer for you, if you’re interested.”

Maybe Falon’din quitting wasn’t such a bad thing. 


End file.
